Book Review: 'The Trapped Girl' by Robert Dugoni

The discovery of a dead body leads Seattle homicide detective Tracy Crosswhite to a baffling case in "The Trapped Girl" by Robert Dugoni.

A young man illegally catching crabs in Puget Sound pulls up one of his pots and is shocked to find the body of a young woman. Tracy and her team get the case, and they soon realize the victim recently had plastic surgery. That leads them to the doctor who performed the operation and the woman's name. Lynn Hoff asked for the procedure, and paid cash.

There appears to be no record of a Lynn Hoff anywhere. Tracy creates in her mind a scenario where the woman was hiding from someone. Why else would she change her appearance and use a fake name?

The case takes another strange turn when a park ranger at Mount Rainier National Park calls Tracy and tells her that the victim looks like someone who had disappeared on the mountain while hiking with her husband.

Dugoni has a gift for creating compelling characters and mysteries that seem straightforward, but his stories, like an onion, have many hidden layers. He also is able to capture the spirit and atmosphere of the Pacific Northwest, making the environment come alive. Readers who enjoy quality crime fiction should add this compelling tale to their bedside pile. The title is perfect for this chilling tale, and along with the unexpected resolution makes "The Trapped Girl" another winner from Dugoni.